Ian Healy Says There Are No Winners Out Of The Cricket Pay Dispute Saga

"I don't think anyone really won"

Claire Sherwood

2017-08-04T01:08:28Z

Pic: Getty

The cricket pay deal is done and dusted, and the parties have finally signed off on an agreement, but cricketing great Ian Healy reckons no one really walks away with victory.

"Cricket Australia tried to change the method of payment to the players. There was an offer of just over $480 million on the table, which the players rejected. It's taken 10 months of not talking and now 5 weeks of talking.."

"I think they've achieved $500 million, not 480-odd, but they've got the model they want as a percentage of revenue so they're all happy"

"Cricket Australia aren't paying much more money than the original offer they had, but they've restructured it"

So then.. who won?

"I don't think anyone really won. I guess the players probably, because a percentage of revenue that's in the game is paid to the players so that can go up with the game and down with the game and that's what the players all wanted", Heals told Marto, Ed and Robin.

He says the who saga has impacted on the game, but not as badly as it could have.

"I think the game has had a black eye but that's about all. They've got this done in the middle of the football season and people just probably switched off a little bit but now they've got it done, let's get on with it"

"Both sides delivered their message poorly and both were saying the same things about each other so not even I could work out who was being reasonable"

"You know the top players, the very highest players that we all know the names of? They probably stood to lose the most, it was never about them... they wanted to cap first class cricketers and sort of say 'right, well your wages are enough' but it's the top players who fought for it all to be together."

"They shouldn't be under pressure but the public will be looking at it, I guess"